Dinner fail, so very fail.

[thistlechaser]

While I now have two ways I can make my chicken breast dinner, I know I need more, so I tried a new way out tonight. I had a recipe using greek yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon zest to marinade it in. (Boy did the yogurt and lemon smell good! I could have eaten it with a spoon instead of using it for the chicken.)

I never know if I'm supposed to cover chicken when I bake it, but when in doubt I generally do since I figure that would keep it moister. But tonight it did something odd. The chicken shrunk to maybe a quarter of the original size and was nearly covered in what looked like water.

They were a really icky color (white) and the texture was odd. The first bite had okay flavor (lemon, nothing else), but that got old really quick. I didn't even come close to finishing it. (TV dinner to the rescue!)

Google tells me I probably poached my chicken. I really can't recommend doing that. I didn't use much lemon juice (a tablespoon or so), though maybe that was enough acid to partially cook it on its own? Whatever the cause, it didn't work at all.

Comments

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

That's very possible. I usually cook a whole boneless skinless chicken breast for 55 minutes, and these were tenders (maybe a quarter of the size/thickness) and it called to cook them for 40.

Anyway... without reading the recipe, if it doesn't say anything about covering the meat, I'd leave it uncovered.

Good to know, I'll do that from now on. Thanks!

[doxxxicle.livejournal.com]

A whole boneless skinless chicken breast only needs to cook for 30-35 minutes at 350F. For me that has always produced consistent results -- tender, just juicy enough, not over-cooked, not under-cooked. Don't cover it since that will reduce the heat at it which it cooks and will prevent the surface from browning.

[doxxxicle.livejournal.com]

This is baked, without liquid, in a pyrex dish.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Mine is metal (usually sitting on a larger flat metal pan so I can get it out of the oven easier), so that probably matters somewhat.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh, huh. Thanks!